Meet the Woman Who's Served As Queen Elizabeth's Double For 30 Years

While many young girls settle for being Disney Princesses, one average woman dared to become a queen. For decades, Ella Slack has had the privilege of being Queen Elizabeth’s stand-in. The former BBC producer, whose height and stature are similar to Her Majesty's, originally found herself in demand by television crews to take the Queen’s place during rehearsals for large-scale royal events.

Before Queen Elizabeth herself sits—although a stand-in may not sit but merely hover above it—on the throne or walks in her procession, Slack already does it to ensure everything runs smoothly for the Queen. Her role also allows photographers and the production crew to make sure any camera angles of the royal are not obstructed.

The Queen is the longest reigning monarch in the U.K., so we’re pretty sure Slack ranks among the longest standing body doubles for a royal, as she's played the part for 30 years.

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

Slack explains in a video that a stand-in is not a lookalike, although she tries to dress in the same manner as the Queen. With her height and stature, Slack sees and experiences everything the Queen does. She’s ridden in the Queen's carriages and taken her place at a podium to ensure the sun does not get in Her Majesty’s eyes. Amusingly, she states the difference between herself and the royal: "The Queen lives in Buckingham Palace, while I live at Royal Court on Queens Promenade."

Hannah is a communications graduate from Ateneo de Manila University. She’s originally from Pampanga and from a big, close-knit family who likes to find a reason to get together at the dinner table. Experiences inspire her. “Once, at a restaurant, I received an interpretation of my second name ‘Celina,’ and it meant 'someone who tries everything once' and that is me through and through,” she says. As for the job, she wants her “readers to be inspired by the stories of the people we feature and to move them to reach for greater things.”